Oh My Baby, Little One [Hardcover]

Kathi Appelt (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

When Baby Bird says good-bye to his mama at school each morning, he feels sad. Mama Bird feels sad, too. Sometimes it's hard to be apart. But as Mama Bird says, the love they share is with them always, keeping them close until the best part of the day--when they are together again. •From the illustrator of the bestselling Time for Bed, with more than 725,000 copies sold •A heartwarming story about the universal experience of parents and children being temporarily separated

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's always hard for Baby Bird and his mama to say good-bye on their way to school and work in the morning. But Mama finds a lilting, lyrical way of showing how her love is with her child all the time--and his love is with her, too.

But even when I'm far away,
this love I have will stay.
and wrap itself around you
every minute of the day.

Warm, reassuring feelings emanate from this lovely picture book. Mama Bird tells her child how her love slips inside his lunch box, sits upon his shoulder when he sings a happy song, and snuggles on his pillow while he naps. Jane Dyer, illustrator of the bestselling Time for Bed, creates positively touchable watercolors of a pudgy-cheeked preschooler bird and his working mom. Hints of hearts nestle playfully on the pages: on the blackboard under the letter H, and sewn onto his pillowcase. Oh My Baby, Little One will resonate deeply for moms and kids alike, and may make daily separations just a little bit easier.

So blow a kiss and wave good-bye--
my baby, don't you cry.
This love is always with you,
like the sun is with the sky.

(Ages 3 to 6) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

As comforting as morning sun, this sweet, tenderly illustrated rhyming poem will reassure both preschoolers and their working parents that separation is only temporary. When a baby bird's mother hugs him before dropping him off at school, she reminds him that "even when I'm far away,/ this love I have will stay/ and wrap itself around you/ every minute of the day." Though Appelt's (Someone's Come to Our House) text has the occasional ring of a greeting card, her rhythmic, four-line stanzas are filled with simple images that preschoolers will understand: the mother bird says her love "nestles in your pocket/ and makes itself so small/ that when you're busy playing,/ you won't notice it at all." In the satisfying ending, the mother bird says that of all her activities, "the sweetest thing I do/ is sweep you up and hold you tight/ and come back home to you." As in her When Mama Comes Home Tonight, Dyer's radiant watercolors, this time of anthropomorphized animals, combine old-fashioned trappings with modern manners. The mother bird wears granny shoes and a straw hat decorated with cherries, but she also carries a briefcase and drinks coffee at a business lunch. Each picture, whether a full-bleed double-spread or a vignette, is filled with bright colors and patterns that are quaintly comforting. Given its timely theme and classic delivery, this could be a popular favorite. Ages 2-5. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152162992
• ISBN-13: 978-0152162993
• ASIN: 0152000410
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 11.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for a new mom!, March 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Oh My Baby, Little One (Hardcover)

This book will bring tears to the eyes of any mom! I get teary eyed everytime I read it! I think it is the perfect book for the new mom, the mom who is sending her "baby" to kindergarten or to COLLEGE. It not only gives the mother a wonderful way to express her love, but it gives the child a new way to understand the love! I will be giving these at baby showers for YEARS.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It will surely bring tears to your eyes., August 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Oh My Baby, Little One (Hardcover)

I came across this book at a bookstore on my lunch hour (when I am always trying to keep my connection with my son by shopping for him!).

It brought tears to my eyes. The author beautifully expresses what every working mother feels -- sadness when separating from her child, all-consuming thoughts of her child while at work, and absolute joy when they are reunited.

My son is only 15 mos. old and may not fully appreciate this book yet, but he will enjoy the beautiful illustrations and the familiar scenes (a pudgy chick getting ready for his nap, playing alongside his friends, etc.).

I bought this book as much for myself as for him and will keep it on a high shelf (safe from a toddler's destruction!) along with other books such as In Case You Ever Wonder and Love You Forever to be truly appreciated when he is a little older.

This is a gift any working mother and child will treasure forever!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of a kind!, April 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Oh My Baby, Little One (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful heart touching book. I stumbeled across this book while I was shopping for a baby shower present. I liked the title and colorful pictures so I decided to buy the book. When I read the story I was amazed. The story was so good! I do not have children but the story moved me. I later read the book to my mother. She started to cry because she remembered how difficult it was to leave me for the first time. This is a wonderful story and I recommed it to everyone!